Railway-rail fastening.



PATENTED JAN. 10, 1905.

R. G. MUSGROVE RAILWAY RAIL FASTENING.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 14, 1904,

gluuauroz Wi wows Patented January 10, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT G. MUSGROVE, OF JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI.

RAILWAY- -RAIL FASTENING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 779,617, dated January 10, 1905.

Application filed April 14, 1904. Serial No. 203,231.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT G. MUSGROVE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jackson, in the county of Hinds and State of Mississippi, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway-Rail Fastenings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to railway-rail fastenings, and is designed more particularly as an improvement on the rail-fastening constituting the subject-matter of my Letters Patent No. 726,559 of April 28 1903.

The object of the present invention is to provide a strong and durable rail-fastening which will not be affected by the tendency of the rails to creep and one calculated to hold the rails securely together without the employment of fish-plates, angle-bars, or the ike. I

With the foregoing in mind the present invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in transverse section,illustrating the arrangement of my improved fastening relative to two rails and a sleeper or tie. Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken in the plane indicated by theline2 2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated by arrow. Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating one of the blocks of the fastening removed. and Fig. 4 is a similar view of the other block.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings, referring to which- A is a sleeper or cross-tie, which may be and preferably is of wood and of the ordinary well-known construction. B B are rails disposed above the sleeper or tie in the usual manner and having transverse apertures a in their webs b, and C is my novel rail-fastening as a whole.

In the present and preferred embodiment of my invention the fastening G is made up of a tie-bar 0, preferably of steel, rail-engaging blocks (Z. also preferably of steel, and means, preferably nails or spikes e, for concurely on the same.

necting said tie-bar c and blocks 0? together and to the sleeper or tie A, As shown in Fig. 1, the tie-bar 0 extends between and outwardly beyond the rails B, and it is provided at its ends with abutments f, shaped to conform to and rest at the outer sides of the rails and flush with the treads thereof, and is also provided, by preference, with end extensions 9, having apertures h for the passage of nails or spikes 2', which take into the sleeper or tie and serve to assist in holding the tie-bar se- Said tie-bar is further provided at intervals between the rails with apertures 1', Fig. 1, for the passage of nails or spikes a. The rail-engaging blocks (Z are arranged on the tie bar between the rails, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and have their outer ends shaped to conform to and bear against the inner sides of the portions of the rails, below the heads thereof, and also have apertures 7 arranged to coincide with the apertures j of the tie-bar and receive the nails or spikes c, which connect the blocks and tie-bar together and to the sleeper or tie A. As best shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the rail-engaging blocks 61 are provided in their under sides with longitudinal channels on, whereby they are adapted to straddle the tie-bar c, and they are also respectively provided on their outer ends with two (more or less) pins 02. These latter may be formed integral with the blocks or separate from the same, as desired, and are designed to occupy the apertures a of the rails after the manner shown in Fig. 1.

Then desirable, a central pin 72/ may be employed with the pins or nails it to connect the tie-bar c to the sleeper or tie independently of the rail-engaging blocks (Z. In the practice of my invention the tie-bar c is arranged as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 relative to the sleeper or tie A, and the rails B are arranged on the tie-bar and against the abutments 7 thereof, after which the blocks (Z are disposed on the tie-bar with their outer ends against the inner sides of the rails and are connected to the tie-bar and the sleeper or tie through the medium of the nails or spikes c. When the said blocks (Z are arranged as stated relative to the tie-bar and the rails, it will be observed that their channels m receive the tiebar, and hence lateral movements of the blocks, due to the tendency of the rails to creep, are effectually prevented and the spikes or nails 6 are relieved of a great portion of the strain which would otherwise be placed upon them. It will also be observed that the pins on on the blocks (Z enter the apertures a in the webs of the rails, and thereby hold the rails securely together, and by so doing effectually dispense with fish-plates, angle-bars, and the like. Vvhen the said pins 7?. are formed separately from the blocks d, they are preferably secured in sockets in the outer ends of the blocks and project from said ends.

My improved fastening, like that disclosed in my aforesaid patent, is susceptible of application to the meeting ends of rails, and

when it is so applied I prefer precedent to connecting the tie-bar to the sleeper to drive nails or spikes into the sleeper at the point where the rails meet, after which the tie-bar is placed on the sleeper close up to said nails or spikes and is nailed to the sleeper.

In virtue of the construction of my novel fastening the rails are supported and reinforced at both sides thereof, and spreading of the rails, which is the cause of so many railroad disasters, is precluded. It will also be noticed that when fastenings embodying my invention are located at curves they will serve to distribute between the outer rails and the inner rails the great strain and pressure imposed on the outer rails incident to the passage of trains. This obviously reduces the liability of accident and materially prolongs the usefulness of the rails. It will further be observed that my improved fastening embodies no delicate parts, such as are liable to give way or wear out after a short period of use, and no parts that are liable to work loose under the shocks and jars to which rails are ordinarily subjected.

I have entered into a detailed description of the construction and relative arrangement of the parts embraced in the present and preferred embodiment of my invention in. order to impart a full, clear, and exact understanding of the same. Ido not desire, however, to be understood as confining myself to such specific construction and relative arrangement of parts, as such changes or modifications may be made in practice as fairly fall within the scope of my invention as claimed.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. The combination in arailway-rail fastening, of a wood sleeper or tie,opposite rails having transverse apertures in their webs, a tiebar, formed of one piece of metal, interposed between the sleeper and the opposite rails,

and having nail-holes, and. also having abutments at its ends shaped to conform to and bear against the outer sides of the opposite rails and rest flush with the treads thereof, metal blocks arranged on the tie-bar between the opposite rails, and having nail-holes coincident with those of the tie-bar, and longitudinal channels in their under sides receiving the tie-bar, and also having their outer ends shaped to occupy the spaces between the heads and the bases of the rails at the inner sides thereof, and pins on said outer ends disposed in the apertures of the rail-webs, and nails extending through the coincident holes of the blocks and tie-bar and connecting the same together and to the sleeper.

2. In arailway-rail fastening, the combination of a sleeper, a rail having a transverse aperture in its web, a bar interposed between the sleeper and the rail and having an integral abutment shaped to conform to and rest against the outer side-of the rail and flush with the tread thereof, a metal block having a longitre dinal channel in its under side receiving the bar and its outer end shaped to occupy the space between the head and base of the rail at the inner side thereof, and also having a pin on said outer end disposed in the aperture of the rail-web, and means connecting the block and bar together and to the sleeper.

3. The combination in a railway-rail fastening, of a sleeper or tie, opposite rails having transverse apertures in their webs, a tie-bar interposed between the sleeper and the opposite rails and having" abutments at its ends bearing against the outer sides of the rails, metal blocks having longitudinal channels in their under sides receiving the tie-bar, and

also having pins on their outer ends disposed in the apertures in the webs of the rails, and means connecting the blocks and tie bar together and to the sleeper,

4. In a railway rail fastening, the combina tion of a sleeper, a rail having a transverse aperture in its web, abar interposed between the sleeper and the rail and having an abutment bearing against the outer side of the latter, a block having a longitudinal channel in its under side receiving the bar, and also having a pin on its outer end disposed in the aperture in the web of the rail, and means connecting the block and bar together and to the sleeper.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT G. MUSGROVE.

Witnesses: I

T. R. RoAoi-r, l/V. A. SHELBY. 

